Young And In Love?
by Tsuyuri Tsutsumi
Summary: No way in hell Nishiura's boys - and girls - would leave this hanging. Even if it meant getting help. Yaoi in later chapters, shounen-ai. Izumi/Mizutani.
1. More than Meditation

Mizutani Fumiki cycled slowly through the pre-dawn streets of Saitama. Fog clung around lamp posts and postboxes along the sidewalk; not a single soul was in sight. He had pretty much gotten used to it, with coach Momoe Maria's demands that the team assemble in the school as soon as a line of gold appeared on the horizon. He reached the gates of Nishiura High a few minutes later. Heaving his bag over his shoulder, he took relaxed paces toward the training ground. Mizutani glanced at his watch; he had arrived at least a half hour before his teammates' usual arrival time.

There was a small figure sitting at the sidelines, holding what seemed to be a book. Despite the rather dark surroundings, he recognized the boy as none other than Izumi Kosuke - Nishiura's center fielder and first baseman. "Izumi!" Mizutani called out. The latter jumped slightly, but responded with a wave and said, "Mizutani." The left fielder proceeded to sit next to his classmate.

"What're you doing here so early?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to leave earlier today."

"I thought I'd read a little, and I had this strange impulse to come here."

"I see."

Izumi shut his book and stuffed it back into his bag.

"Keep on reading! You don't have to stop just because I'm here."

"I want to."

Silence dominated the field for a long, long while.

"Hey, Mizutani?"

"Yeah?"

"You wanna start meditation practice first?"

"The others aren't even here yet."

"Just you and me then."

Mizutani froze, Izumi's words ringing in his ears. _Just you and me then_. He nodded slightly, and held back a gasp as the first baseman gently took his hand in his, slender fingers entwining. Both boys breathed deeply, bodies pressed lightly against each other.

_So this is how it feels like being so close to him._

The rest of the baseball team walked as one towards the training ground, laughing and chatting animatedly. Abe Takaya grimaced as his face hit Hanai Azusa's back. "Don't stop just like that!" the catcher hissed, peering over the captain's shoulder at the cause of that minor commotion.

His mouth dropped.

His eyes were three times their size.

His teammates scrambled to see what the big deal was.

"Is that Izumi and Mizutani?!" Tajima Yuuichirou half-screamed.

"Ohmygawd. They..." Nishihiro Shintarou whispered.

"They're... like... _hugging_!" Sakaeguchi Yuuto burst out.

"They're not hugging, moron! It's just that... they're _cradling_ each other or something!" Oki Kazutoshi stammered.

"More like, being in a _really_ intimate position!" Suyama Shouji corrected.

Momoe Maria and Shin'oka Chiyo were completely speechless.

_Thud._

Everybody whirled around.

Mihashi Ren had passed out.

* * *

_My first try at Izumi/Mizutani. I hope it isn't too OOC. x) Reviews and constructive criticism is very much appreciated._


	2. Recruiting Assistance

It had been at least three weeks after that. And there wasn't a single member of Nishiura High's baseball team that had forgotten it.

Nope.

There was no way this was going to continue.

Hanai called for an urgent yet secret meeting.

One that was unbeknownst to Izumi and Mizutani.

"So..." The captain himself was in an awkward situation. "Which one of you've... you know, forgotten _that_?" he asked. No hands were raised. "Opinions, please?" he requested. And strangely, it sounded rather timid.

"I think we should ask for... assistance in _this_ difficult mission," Momoe said.

"What sort of help?"

"Why, Tousei, Mihoshi and Musashino Daichi, of course."

Without wasting more of her precious time, she whipped out her cellphone and starting jabbing furiously at the poor, poor buttons.

* * *

_Come over to Nishiura High tomorrow. Meet you at ten, in front of the school gates. We've something urgent to discuss. - Momoe Maria, Nishiura High_

They just stared at their cellphones.

One line escaped their lips, and it was similar word by word.

"Urgent to discuss?"

* * *

Kanou Shuugo leaned against the brick wall.

Akimaru Kyouhei adjusted his glasses.

Haruna Motoki busied himself with his collar.

Kawai Kazuki sipped at his juice.

Takase Junta stared up at the sky.

Nakazawa Riou was retying his shoelaces.

The whole of Nishiura's baseball team came running a couple of minutes later, led by their coach. Finally. "_Gomen nasai_! We had a minor hold up. Tajima-kun woke up late," Momoe explained.

"_Iie_, it's no big deal. We haven't been waiting long," Junta politely greeted. "So, what's so important? I see it's not just me you've invited." He gestured to the small gathering behind him.

"Then, gentlemen - follow me."

_I know Chapter 2 is a tad short. I'm really sorry. x( I'll try to make up for it in Chapter 3. Reviews are very much liked. _


	3. Warm Winter

Mizutani walked along the streets, his scarf pulled over his neck. He hated the winter, really. Sure, it wasn't exactly winter yet, but it was starting to be cold already. He had intended to go off to a café, where he could calmly listen to music, accompanied by his trusty earphones and a steaming hot cup of coffee. His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar but strangely soothing call. Izumi came running up to him, his purple orbs shining brightly.

"Mizutani!"

"I-Izumi!"

"Funny running into you here."

"Yeah, you too."

"Join me for a walk?"

"Sure."

Moments later, they found themselves on a bench under a tree in a deserted corner of the park. There was nobody in sight, nobody in their right minds would even bother to be there on a cold pre-winter's day like this one. Mizutani nearly jumped out of his skin as Izumi tapped him on the shoulder.

"Y-Yeah, Izumi?"

"I just wanted to apologize for that morning at school. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable in any way. I've never done that before."

"Don't worry about it! I... I enjoyed it."

With that, Mizutani sneezed. Glancing away from his teammate, he reached to pull his scarf tighter.

He gasped yet again as something warm was slipped across his shoulders.

A jacket.

Izumi's jacket.

He whirled back to look at Izumi.

"Are you cold? You can have my jacket for a while, I'm pretty much used to weather like this."

"Thanks."

* * *

Back at home, Mizutani collapsed onto his bed, still wearing the jacket. Maybe... Just _maybe_, winter wasn't so bad after all. This winter was indeed warmer than usual.

_That was short! . Gomen nasai, I'm working on Chapter 4. More Izumi/Mizutani action in the next chapter._


	4. A Wild Christmas Party

_Ohaiyou! I'm back again! I hope this chapter is long enough. x) Oh, just to inform you: the foreign six, or the special six, or simply the six refers to the six players from Tousei, Musashino Daichi and Mihoshi that Nishiura asked help from._

* * *

_Keep tabs on them. Watch them closely. Observe their actions._

Those were their sole tasks here, and not any other. Momoe's instructions rang through their minds as the few regulars of Tousei, Musashino Daichi and Mihoshi made their way towards her house - to which address had been given at the 'briefing' a week ago. It really was surprising though. They practically lived their lives for baseball, yet are asked to take on such a sudden and wild job. Of course, it wasn't something they could resist - the idea of scouring for the truth was simply scrumptious. And so, here they were, on the way to Momoe's home, where she had invited all players of the four teams for an early Christmas party.

_All_ players.

And only so few of them knew about it.

* * *

Haruna walked out of the train, only to bump straight into Kyouhei. "Yo," he greeted. His reserve catcher simply nodded. They walked together, joining up with friends from other teams. After about a half hour, they found themselves ringing the doorbell of Momoe's home. "Ah, so you boys're here!" she greeted cheerfully, jabbing a button on the gate controller. It slid open, allowing them entrance. She opened the door wider and closed it silently after they had all entered. "Presents are over there," she said, gesturing a to pile of brightly-coloured boxes wrapped in different styles and some adorned with a ribbon or two.

After leaving their presents with the bunch, they made their way to an empty room. Nakazawa's jaw dropped - it was huge. Enough to accommodate the Nishiura Nine and a heck of a lot more. A table lined with a variety of food and drinks sat in a corner, while music entertained the rather bored players. The special six's eyes flitted over to Izumi and Mizutani, chatting vividly with each other. Oh, yes. This was going to be one afternoon to remember. "So, up for lunch?" Momoe asked everyone. "Then after that, we'll engage in snowball war!"

"Snowball _war_?" Kanou asked.

"Yeah."

"Shouldn't it be snowball _fight_?" Kazuki enquired.

"No. Since there are so many people here today, it's war!"

"Ah, whatever! Can we just eat? I'm starving!" Tajima complained.

Without hesitation, they helped themselves to food. And throughout lunch, they found themselves listening to some of the most peculiar conversations ever among their own cliques. And now, the Nishiura Nine and their hired six were focusing on their main tasks here today.

"Soooooo..." Haruna trailed off.

"Ah, yeah! Izumi-san, Mizutani-san," Kanou picked up.

"Yes?" they replied in unison.

"How're things going?" Junta asked innocently.

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about," Izumi said, confused.

"I mean... Between you two," Tousei's pitcher teased.

The two's teammates were trying extremely hard not to laugh or pester them with more questions. Izumi and Mizutani blinked at each other; the left fielder said: "There's absolutely nothing between us, except being teammates. We're not in any association together or anything, and we're in different classes."

Their sheer density made the six want to slap themselves.

* * *

"Right, now just pick a present which you think looks pretty or what not. All of them have no names on them, so it's sorta like Secret Santa. If you spot your present being opened by somebody, don't you go around telling that it's yours. Keep it to yourself, until all presents have been opened," Momoe explained.

_**Author's Note: **__Full present statistics at the end of this chapter! 3_

Izumi bit his lip really hard as he saw Mizutani picking up a box wrapped in midnight blue, adorned with translucent silver ribbon. _That's mine!_ he thought, in somewhat alarm. He shrugged it off with considerable effort, instead opening his own choice of box. It was wrapped in a pearly white with forest green ribbon.

After all presents had been opened and wrapping paper literally concealed the floor, each took turns to point out his or her box in that mess of boxes. When it was young Mizutani's turn, the six and the rest of Nishiura tuned in. "That's mine," he said in a voice of feigned calm, finger pointed directly at the box in Izumi's hands. Inside, he wanted to hit himself. _Why the heck are you so nervous? It's just Izumi! He's been my teammate for close to a year, so what? What the hell is wrong with you, Mizutani Fumiki?_

"And you, Izumi?" Momoe asked.

"Mizutani's having it," the center fielder replied.

The 'foreign' six whistled.

"What?" the duo asked, cluelessly.

* * *

"SNOWBALL WAR!" Momoe shrieked, as she hurled a snowball at young Shin'oka. In return, she was pelted by a laughing Haruna. The fight went on, for the good part of two hours. Pitchers had the advantage, leaving catchers to rely on their instinct and familiarity with their counterparts upon being targeted. Basemen and most others had been trained to run, and they zigzagged with relative ease to avoid a comsiderable number of snowballs.

Izumi was running, fast. There was no way he was going to let Tajima hit him again. He had been hit not once, not twice, not thrice but seven times. That was it.

And with that, he slipped.

A hand grabbed his own and jerked him backwards.

Moments later, Izumi Kosuke found himself on top of Mizutani Fumiki.

Their faces just inches apart. Their eyes just inches apart. Their lips just inches apart.

* * *

_Cliffhanger! xD_

_I promised a list of who got who's presents halfway through the story, right? Here ya go! Recipients on the left, givers on the right. Not meant to promote any pairings. -cough-Mizutani and Izumi-cough- x3_

**Abe:** Kazuki  
**Mihashi:** Oda  
**Hanai:** Nakazawa  
**Izumi:** Mizutani  
**Mizutani:** Izumi  
**Oki:** Shimazaki  
**Nishihiro:** Kyouhei  
**Momoe:** Kanou  
**Shin'oka:** Sakaeguchi  
**Tajima:** Abe  
**Sakaeguchi:** Kaguyama  
**Suyama:** Shino'oka  
**Kanou:** Mihashi  
**Oda:** Hanai  
**Hatake:** Oki  
**Kyouhei:** Momoe  
**Haruna:** Tajima  
**Kaguyama:** Hatake  
**Kazuki:** Suyama  
**Junta:** Haruna  
**Nakazawa:** Junta  
**Shimazaki:** Nishihiro


	5. Realization

It was as if time stopped right there and then. Izumi and Mizutani were flushed; their cheeks were red. Eyes widened, violet met brown. Hearts beat fast, so fast that it could've jumped right out from their chests.

Everybody was gawking.

Especially those hired, and the hirers.

"Ohmygawsh," Momoe whispered.

When Izumi realized what was going on, he scrambled off his teammate. His crimson face stood out amongst the snow white background, but it was completely, absolutely nothing compared to Mizutani's scarlet features. His lips trembled, but he dared ask: "H-Hey, are... are you okay?" The left fielder sat up. "Yeah. D-Don't worry yourself about it." He took Izumi's outstretched hand and was pulled up.

The last thing they had to deal with today was those gawking faces.

Oh, where's a memory-erasing machine when you need it?

"You will _not_ tell anybody about this in school, right?"

__________________________________

_**Author's Note:**__ The regular text until Mizutani arrives is Izumi's brain. And the italics would be his subconscience._

C'mon! You can so do this!

_No, you can't._

It's only Mizutani! And what happened was an accident!

_It's not _only _Mizutani. And what happened was _not_ an accident._

It is so!

_You inflicted that on yourself._

How?

_You were running so fast, totally oblivious to where you were going._

He's been my teammate for so long! What's the big deal?

_If it's not a big deal as you put it, why's your heart beating so fast?_

I... It's hot out today.

_Uh-huh. It's hot out on a winter's day, huh?_

"Hey, Izumi?"

The third baseman jumped, whirling around to take an auburn-haired boy into sight. "Uh... hi. The reason I called you here was, um, I'm... I'm really, really sorry about what happened that day at Momoe-kan's Christmas party," he apologized, not daring to look into his teammate's eyes. There was no way he possibly could, after the events that had transpired. He was almost sure that their friendship would take a turn for the worse now. "No, no! I should be the one to apologize! I pulled you back, it's totally and entirely my fault," Mizutani insisted.

After short silence, to which the two gazed at each other: "Friends?" Nishiura's #7 asked meekly. "Definitely," Izumi replied. They each felt like a huge burden had been lifted off their shoulders, a veil of darkness vanquished to reveal light. "Then... How about you join me for a walk in town, then maybe a trip to the new café around the corner? My treat," Mizutani offered. Izumi pondered it for a while, before countering: "Fine. But you're gonna let me pay for that book you're always looking at on the way home."

The duo burst out laughing, then set off down the snowy path together.

__________________________________

Mizutani sat on his bed, flipping through his newly-bought book's pages. For some reason, he just couldn't let go of it. Falling back, he gazed up at the ceiling, and then out the window. The sky was dotted with millions of glittering stars, the ground illuminated by dazzling moonlight. The tree branch outside his room was swinging lightly in the wind, leaves rustling in a rhythm. Despite having his earphones plugged in and the latest music playing in his ears, he couldn't seem to stop thinking about a certain Izumi Kosuke. His thoughts went spinning, and he soon became lost in them.

_Ohmygod. What's wrong with me these days? It's just Izumi, right? So why the heck can't I stop thinking about him? But... I feel this, well, weird sensation whenever I'm playing with him, or practicing with him, or just being around him! Kami-sama, what's happening to me? Could it really, actually be..._

Mizutani ran his fingers across his lips.

"Love?" he whispered.

__________________________________

Izumi felt relieved his parents were away on a business trip. They would certainly never approve of his behaviour right now - books sprawled all over his desk, baseball equipment lying in a corner and Christmas gifts from boys and girls alike at school at the foot of his closet. He picked up a snowglobe from the pile; it was Mizutani's contribution to Momoe's party weeks back. Due to a stroke of luck, he had chosen it from the huge number of boxes. Ever since then though, he hadn't been able to live a day without picking it up, shaking it, and watch as the fake snow fell slowly to the base. The white dots coated the red roof of the small beige house by the side, and a miniature fir tree was barely visible. Somehow, whenever he so much as caught a glimpse of the snowglobe, Izumi would be reminded of his auburn-haired teammate. He reached to put it down on his bedside table, but instead changed his mind and fell back onto his enormous beanbag chair.

_This is mega-kawaii. It would make good birthday presents; I should get more of these. But I just can't let go of this thing! I… I've never felt this way before, I mean, about somebody. I'm not obsessed about him or anything, but I'm reminded of Mizutani everytime I look at it. It's just… so weird. There's no word, probably not even a scientific theory to explain what I'm going through right now. Maybe it's just a phase of growing up. But I know that's not it. I mean, there's one more possibility, but…_

"Love?" he murmured.

__________________________________

Their houses might be kilometres away, but their eyes roamed the same moon, took in the same air, muttered the same words. Could it truly, possibly, actually be… love?

"No, it can't…" Mizutani trailed off.

"Yes, maybe. Just maybe, it _is_ love," Izumi whispered.

* * *

_I am so, so, so, so, so sorry for not updating in like... what? Three weeks or so? I'm such a horrible author. =( But school's been horrible, and I had events lined up one after another for days! Now that it's all over, I feel loads better. One night, I was sitting in bed thinking about events tomorrow, and I was like: "Dude! My fanfiction!" It was really awful waiting for it all to be over before getting a chance to update._

_Well, anyway. I hope this chapter's long enough for a good read. The next chapter is... well, you'll see. xD Thanks a bunch to all my reviewers (well, actually, only two so far, but extremely loyal ones!)._


	6. Impromptu Confession

"Yo, Izumi! Somethin' wrong with you today? You're, like, really, _really_ spaced out, dude. You haven't been able to hit a single ball today - fastball, curve ball, forkball, whatever ball - from pitcher _and_ machine alike! Are you okay, man?" Tajima asked, concerned, as the subject of his rant took of his cap and threw down his bat in exhaustion. "I don't know! I'm just… really not into the game today, I guess. I don't know what's wrong with me!" Izumi sighed in frustration. Tajima pondered for a short moment on what to say, before finally saying: "Maybe you should take a break, ya know. It's probably just your 'off-day'. It's not good to push yourself if you don't feel like practicing. C'mon, let's go ask Momoe-kan if you can skip practice today."

Nishiura's softball-generation-star-turned-coach was rather surprised upon being approached and briefed on the third baseman's condition. Other members of the team halted practice and watched the two cross the field, up to her. Mizutani's thoughts went flying, and he felt a sudden rush of worry.

"Are you sick, Izumi-kun?"

"No. Well, at least, I don't think so."

"Did you eat this morning?"

"Yeah. More than I usually do, but that's because I skipped dinner last night."

"D'you feel cold… at all?"

"Now that you mention it, a little."

"Is that so?" Momoe motioned to Shino'oka. "Bring me a thermometer, please."

"COLD?!" Tajima bellowed. "It's bloody hot out today!"

After a few moments, Momoe's eyes narrowed as she observed the small screen on the device. "Looks like you've a fever, Izumi-kun," she said, in a worried voice. Tajima craned his neck to get a look at the reading. "Whoa! That's pretty off-the-scale. You're 38.2! Now you _really_ need some rest," he exclaimed. As much as she was worried about his health, Momoe saw this as the perfect chance. There couldn't be any better a chance at all! As abruptly as ever, she pointed a finger directly at a startled Mizutani.

"Uh… yeah?" he asked timidly.

"Take Izumi home. I hear his parents're out of town. So just look after him for today. If I'm not mistaken, they'll be home late tonight, right?"

"Yeah," Izumi confirmed weakly.

"Well, that settles it. We'll come over tonight, to accompany Mizutani and explain to his parents about all this."

"Um, sure. If you insist."

As the second baseman hobbled off under Izumi's weight, Hanai turned to Momoe once they were out of earshot. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked warily. The ends of her mouth twitched in an involuntary but mischievous smile. "We'll have to wait and see."

__________________________________

Mizutani glanced at the clock on his teammate's bedside table, which told him that it was close to twilight; it was 5.30 in the evening. Strangely, it had been one of the most frightening experiences of his life - trying to get a feverish Izumi to ride his bike back home. Every fifteen seconds, he would swerve from side to side, and regain his balance only after being assisted. His eyes surveyed his surroundings; the room was both admirable and messy. Books about baseball lined the shelves, while pieces of paper with rough sketches on them stacked up on the table. However, everything else was well-maintained and kept properly. He glanced at the sleeping figure before him, and felt his cheeks growing hot. _Izumi's even more… beautiful when he's sleeping! _Unconsciously, Mizutani reached out to touch his teammate's near-flawless features. Leaning forward, he gave Izumi a light peck on the cheek. Upon doing so, he pulled back in shock and resisted the temptation to slap himself - hard. _What on earth am I doing?!_

But his thoughts of self-punishment were interrupted as the brunette's eyes fluttered open. "Mizutani?" Izumi muttered. "Hey, uh, yeah! How're you feeling?" he asked anxiously. The right fielder attempted to sit up, but instead fell back onto his pillow, breathing heavily. Mizutani placed a hand to his teammate's forehead, and immediately drew back. "You're blazing hot! Give me a moment, I'll fetch the thermometer, and water," he said, standing up to leave. Izumi's hand flew out to catch his; brown eyes met violet orbs once again. "Please, don't leave. Don't go," he begged. Like a moth to flame, Mizutani obeyed without another word of question. The brunette broke the silence, though his voice was both hoarse and weak.

"How long've you been here?"

"Since taking you home halfway through practice."

"I'm so sorry… for causing you all the trouble that I already have."

"_Iie_! Absolutely not! It's not trouble!"

"But you've wasted your time watching over me."

"It's not… not wasted time, Izumi."

"You didn't have time for yourself today."

"Ya know, time spent for you is time well-spent."

Mizutani gasped, and Izumi blinked, flustered.

"Thank you. I mean it, I really do, Mizutani."

With that, Izumi drifted off to sleep. Though his eyes didn't open, he spoke after a short while. "Mizutani, I… I love you," he whispered. Despite it being so faint it was barely audible, the auburn-haired boy heard it. His eyes widened considerably, and his cheeks were a flushed crimson.

_Did he just say what I thought he said? No… No, it can't be! He… he just said he loved me__?_


	7. Heat

Mizutani sat, dumbfounded. _What…? He… loves me? Iie, chigau! I must've heard wrongly, 'cause… no way! I mean, that's just wrong! We're both boys, and… it's just fever talk! Yeah, yeah, that's right! Just fever talk. Or, it could be love between friends! Yup. Totally._ He didn't think much more, for there came the ringing of the doorbell - Momoe and company had arrived.

__________________________________

"Settle down, _minna-san_!" Class 7's homeroom teacher commanded. "Hanai-kun will now be passing out copies of the upcoming proficiency test's schedule. Our class average has been heightening steadily, and I want that to continue, okay? Please do your best." Students left, right and center groaned - EXAMS. Abe elbowed Mizutani, who'd been busying himself with the sight of the school grounds; his hazel eyes had been transfixed out the window all morning. "Hello? Earth to Mizutani, man! What's up? You haven't said a single word all morning! Did something happen?" the vice-captain asked, catching Shin'oka's attention. Sitting at a table nearby, she craned her neck to listen.

"I… No, it's nothing! I'm fine, just… bored."

"Bored? Well, you won't be bored for long."

"Why?"

"Hah! That's definite proof you've been spacing out."

"What? What happened?"

"Pro. Fi. Cien. Cy. Test."

"Oh, my god."

"You said it."

Just then, Hanai dropped the schedule onto his desk, to which Mizutani scrambled to pick up.

__________________________________

A certain auburn-haired baseball player ran his fingers across the spines of countless books in Nishiura High's library, sighing to himself. "Why, oh, why do the books I need just have to be so hard to find? It seemed like just yesterday we had our last proficiency test! Gosh, this sucks," he muttered under his breath. He glanced at his watch - it was mere minutes to the library's closing time. The lights began to go off one by one, startling him. Out of nowhere, a freshman librarian rounded the corner. "_Anou_… Mizutani-san! I suppose you're going to be here for a while, right? It's proficiency test season anyway. Honestly, you're the only one who really bothers to stay behind to look for books, but I guess that's good! Well, anyway, the keys are on the reception desk. Once you're done, could you lock up and put it on Sumire-sensei's table in the staff room?" she asked politely. To this, he smiled. "Sure. Thanks for all your work."

The librarian skipped out the door, as he burrowed further and further into the mountain of books in the dark. He'd pretty much gotten used to the darkness of the after-school library anyway; he'd done this for the past three tests. But after a while, his thoughts elapsed to something completely irrelevant to studies - the night two days ago. _God, I can't even stop thinking about it! Something really is wrong with me. But I know that Izumi didn't mean romantic love, I mean… we barely know each other, and… But, somehow, I just know that nothing between us is ever going to be the same as it was._ He allowed his thoughts to trail off; although a very tiny voice in his mind told him that it wasn't how he truly wanted it to be.

His thoughts were, however, interrupted.

By the last person he could ever want to see in his confused state now.

"Mizutani?" Izumi asked, surprised. "What're you doing here?"

"Um, uh, hey! I'm… just looking for a couple of books."

"Proficiency tests, huh?"

"Yeah. Um, you?"

"Same here."

The duo continued looking for their respective books, but their resolve seemed to fade with every passing minute together. Mizutani's uneasiness grew with every moment; he still couldn't forget the words his teammate had said back when he was sick. The scene replayed over and over again in his head, so much so that he had to really concentrate to pick out the books he needed. How could he possibly act as if nothing had happened? Soon enough, they reached the back of the library, each accompanied by a stack of books - everything from dictionaries to encyclopaedias. Both of them placed their respective tomes on the floor, stretching their aching arms and backs. Leaning against the wall, Mizutani let out a huge sigh, shutting his eyes momentarily.

"Mizutani." The second baseman opened his eyes again at the sound of his name, only to draw back. Izumi stood before him; both hands placed firmly against the wall on either side of his head, hair hanging over his violet orbs. "About what I said that night, I… I meant it. I love you. I love you so hopelessly much!" he whispered. Mizutani's chocolate eyes widened considerably; he wanted to back away, but it wasn't like there was much space left to do so. "I know, I know that you probably don't feel the same way about me. We're… both boys after all, right?" he continued, his voice barely above a hoarse whisper.

Silence.

"What… What could you possibly see in me? I… I'm so far up the batting order in games; I mostly just sit there and cheer others on. My grades are just average, and it's not like I'm an honour student or anything. So, what… what do you see in… Mizutani Fumiki?" the auburn-haired boy asked, in a voice just as soft. Izumi allowed himself a gasp. "I… I don't know. I don't care about your studies or position or whatever! I… I care about you," he explained, in a somewhat scared voice.

"God, I must sound like a freak to you. Just… forget everything I said, okay?" Izumi pulled back, but Mizutani grabbed on to his hand. "No! Please… no. Don't go. Look, I… I wasn't sure about my feelings for you before. But I'm willing to take a chance! I… I _want_ to believe that I love you! I want to believe so badly! So… make me believe that I love you," he whispered, his bottom lip trembling.

He let out a gasp as he felt a hand on the side of his cheek.

A finger traced the shape of his jaw, and then his lips.

The hand raised his head ever so carefully.

Chocolate met amethyst.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes… more than I've ever been in my life."

"Then... I graciously accept your invitation."

Izumi swooped down and captured Mizutani's lips in a kiss, one so soft it felt like a feather had touched the latter's mouth. The left fielder moaned quietly, reaching out to slide his fingers in his teammate's hair. What seemed like hours later, they pulled away, gasping for air. "No, I don't want it to end yet," Mizutani whispered, eyes clouded with that little bit of lust. Without hesitation, he yanked at Izumi's hair and pulled the latter's face back to his - into passion like he'd never felt before. All sense of longing bottled up in their hearts burst out at one go, overwhelming them both.

Tongues fought for domination, hands went wild for the next minute.

Those keys would have to wait.

* * *

_I'm so, so, so sorry, minna-san! I feel like a jerk! I haven't updated in what? A million years would be an understatement. x( My Internet went poof for a while, and then my computer was attacked by viruses, and I had a major case of writer's block. Gah, it's horrible. I apologize yet again; I'll get Chapter 8 up as soon as possible. And then the real drama starts. =P_

_Thanks a bunch for continously reading this fanfiction, and I love your reviews. ^^ You're making me one really happy author, and I thank you guys for that. - hugs -_


End file.
